Documentaries We Like: Paddle to Seattle

The idea of Paddle to Seattle may sound a bit contrived, two dudes build their own kayaks and then paddle the 1200-mile North American Inside Passage from Alaska to Seattle. But from the moment this documentary starts, it's clear that it will not watch as slow as the 3-miles-an-hour, 15-miles-a-day pace that the main characters paddle. The two buddies make so many of the hardships in the movie a playful learning experience, from deciding on a title to weathering the hospital-inducing "dirty turkey squirts," that you get lost in the journey.

The friends open themselves to the local customs and foods they encounter along the trip, from eating Ludefisk in a Norwegian fishing community to attempting to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting with a local kayaker they befriend.

We won't ruin the movie by attempting to describe any scenes in specific detail. We will say that if you enjoy sea kayaking and are looking for a good buddy movie, this fills the niche. If you need more of an endorsement, Paddler Magazine called Paddle to Seattle "80 minutes of the best feature film about paddling produced in the last decade."

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